"Confabulation" by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry won Second Place - Large Quilts - Stationary Machine Quilted at AQS QuiltWeek - Paducah 2026.
Artist Statement: "This design began as a series of pencil drawings of herons and cranes on paper. These were scanned into Corel Draw and arranged into a single design. Each bird was digitally painted in a different color or hue, using many different values from light to dark, to create luminosity and depth. The colors of the birds form a color wheel with warm colors on the right side and cool colors on the left. Two sets of colors form the watery background. One set comes from a photo of one of my dye-painted fabrics and the other is a subtle gradation from yellow at the bottom to purple at the top, contrasting with the color flow of the birds.
Each individual feather was quilted in a traditional quilter's feather pattern, in contrasting shades. The background was quilted in long looping meander patterns suggesting water. The back is a one-of-a-kind, dye-painted fabric. The digital printing was done by Spoonflower in two sections, which were pieced together to form the 61" wide quilt top. The matching binding strips were printed at the same time."
Confabulation: An exchange of viewpoints or advice for the purpose of finding a solution to a problem.
Confab: Consult, confer, discuss, talk, parley, counsel, advise, deliberate, debate
Quilting Method: Stationary Machine
Techniques: Original Drawing, Dye Painting, Photography, Digital Design, Digital Painting, Digital Printing, Fabric (Dyeing, Painting), Panel (Commercially Printed), Piecing (Machine), Printing (Photo Transfer), Quilting (Free-Motion), Wholecloth, and Machine Quilting
Maker: Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry
Quilter: Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry
Year Made: 2023
Size: 61" x 84" Inches
Shows & Museums: AQS QuiltWeek - Paducah 2026; "A Life in Color: 50 Years of Quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry" Exhibit at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky
Awards: Second Place - Large Quilts - Stationary Machine Quilted (Sponsored by Husqvarna Viking) at AQS QuiltWeek - Paducah 2026
